Storm Born
Beginning of the storm and founding of the Storm Born: XX-XX-XXXX. Dwellers of the canyons below the long running super storm that appeared X {quakes} ago. These people are hunters of the winds and fishermen of the skies. These people only found the way out of their imprisonment a few decades ago. They are considered cold and distant to most other cultures. Some even refer to them as ghouls for their ghastly stoic personas and stone-men by others for their deadpan appearances. History & Politics Origins Most stormborn are an offshoot of Whitrin formed by a large community of lower class fishing {Schooners} lead by {Convod Lowmack} to seek other prospects in a river system to the south east. Several {quakes} of prospect in the isolated canyon valleys had left the settlers feeling safe and at home, granted there were terrors that would occasionally slither and crawl their ways out of caverns below the water and along the walls which remain as a threat to this day. Eventually after several fluctuating erratic weather patterns in the area, including massive tornados above the canyons and horrific droughts which dried up most of the lake bed and beaching the communities {Schooners}, a massive hurricane dropped all around the canyon which stones and boats around the lands. The grandson of {Lowmack}, {Sojaan}, attempted to find and protect the families of several {shooners} that ended up near by after the initial gust of the storm. After a few quakes of hiding in cavern, running low on resources, A bit of a reckless youth named {Juman Farthan} noticing the strength of the wind sought attempted to sail the winds with a modified river runner. This travel became the lifeblood of the Storm Born. Newer members of this society are wanderers (Sand Dancers, Desert Brawlers, and traveling merchants) who strayed too close to the winds and just caught in the storm. They are generally saved by those who find them and encouraged to learn their ways. Through fate and the sheer will, a man named Kan was struck by the lightning of the storm and instead of dying, redirected it at nearby stones in the wind. having found a way to break the barrier of the storm, he was thusly referred to as {Rock breaker}. With this talent, the stormborn have found themselves capable of escaping and interacting with the outside world. Famous/infamous people/figures * {Convod Lowmack} * {Convod Sojaan (savior of the people)} * {Juman Farthan (First sky rider)} * {Rock breaker Kan (first one to harness the storm)} Politics/Social structure The society here has been built upon threads, therefore the social structure is that of hunters who assist each other and occasionally form bands of friends who hunt together, but no one person has convinced others to follow them further than helping each other in the hunt. When the {Rock breaker} found his talent he became a {thundersage} and spread his craft which has become a job for those seeking to help the people be free to live in and out of the storm as the please. Legal system The Hunters Code The storm born have a code which was established by the first few {Juman Farthan} sent to the skies. There are three promises the original families made and their descendants have taken to heart. # ”We will be stronger than the winds” The people value their strength and will take what the need to live but nothing more. # ”Like the winds we will lift others to the skies” The people share what they know and have learned to help those who can not yet ride the winds or survive the storms. Though people can presently leave the storm whenever the weather permits, they heavily encourage non-native survivors of the storm to adopt their lifestyle as they had when the borders were insurmountable. # “There is no room for mischief in these lands” Life is hard in these lands so don’t steal, kill, vandalize, or fight. (This has been adapted to an unspoken rule of split your take of the hunt fairly) Foreign relations *{Whitrin}: The {Whitrin} were the culture from which this civilization spawned. They were founded by a settlement gone wrong in the long dried canyon river. This culture’s tools and several customs have become a basis for the Storm Born but they have grown so distant over time that presently when meeting, the two personalities tend to but heads and generally not mesh well. *Sand Dancers: On the cataclysmic start of the storm many {Sand Dancers} were trapped passing by the canyon borders when the winds kicked up. These original few gratefully accepted the help from the {Whitrin} who together became the Storm Born. Generally before the harnessing of lightning, they were genuinely stuck earlier on in the history of the Storm Born which was difficult due to the polarized philosophies of life. That being said, their present day mindset is to encourage them to stay which is almost never successful unless the {Dancer} has an adventurous heart. *{Desert Brawlers}: Though very rarely, {Desert Brawlers} on raids or passing by get caught up in the storms borders. Generally before the harnessing of lightning, They were genuinely stuck earlier on in the history of the Storm Born. That being said, their present day mindset is to encourage them to stay. This is generally successful because of their mutually hearty nature of the two cultures. * The Fiefdoms: Occasionally, traders from the northern fiefdoms would attempt to trade further and further south amongst the Sand dancers but these travelers would find themselves trapped in the hurricane. Generally before the harnessing of lightning, they were genuinely stuck earlier on in the history of the Storm Born. That being said, their present day mindset is to encourage them to stay. This is generally futile with tradesmen. *{The Denizens of Waterfall keep}: There were not many direct interactions with these people in the past. The keep was only established around the time the storm appeared. In recent {quakes} {envoys} of the keep have taken an ear to those Storm Born who recite tales of battle against the {thulians} of the storms. The lords of the keep have developed a religion surrounding becoming beings of a formless nature which has become the draw towards the tales of thulians which seem to have an amorphous bodies. Trade Weapons and Armor: All {thulians} have massive teeth made of a highly dense bone which can easily carve through most stone and not be shattered. They can however be carved by other teeth which has resulted in the art of shaping highly durable blades, armor and tools which other cultures find desirable. Warfare The Stormborn have not had any battles with the civilizations outside of the Storm aside from the occasional scuffle or stormborn hired as a mercenary to fight for others causes for the thrill of battle. That being said, life for a Storm Born is a constant battle with other creatures. {Thulians} are monstrous creatures that constantly attack anything they can consume. The Storm Born have become experts at killing these beasts in their many forms. The beast exist as both their prey and their predators which makes their lives a constant war. Culture Customs General behavior Stormborn are very calm overall but can be very short with people from other lands. They are known for being ones to stand in a corner when discussions are being had and tend to be cold and unemotional. Intrapersonal Storm Born have generally stoic personalities which makes intrapersonal interactions very few and far between, but occasional hunting parties are formed out of necessity. These bands eventually becomes teams of hunters who share mutual respect for each other and will continue to hunt together to help prosper in the storm. Courting The Stormborn are very efficient with courting, mating and reproduction. Hunters of the opposite sex will find a mate amongst their hunting parties and will tend to mate for life. A proposal is made by one hunter offering one of a pair of daggers made from a single {thulian} tooth split down the middle. These pairs generally know the harsh nature of the life in the storm and will only have one to two children at a time and remain a close nit family. During pregnancy, the pair will hunt together everyday to build up stores of food and resources until the later stages of pregnancy where the couple will wait out the birth.They usually only choose to have more children after their current offspring complete {the hunters trial}. Ceremonies The hunters trial: This is the test of adulthood for the Storm Born which the . This is literally the act of fighting for a home. Stormborn make a home in any cavern which has been dug out by {thulians}, but these beasts tend to dwell in these caverns when not out on the hunt. The trial is complete when the hunter kills every {thulian} which dwells in the cave they choose. Education There is no formal education system however the Storm Born are avid about their rule of “lifting others to the skies” so they pass on everything useful they have learned through demonstrations of skill in the hunt or via word of mouth. Art Bone carving and crafting of weapons is the finest skill one can master. They carve intricate patterns of wind-like flows along the shaped, bone teeth and spines. these teeth can be modified as carving tools which has formed a type of decorative art form of carving stories into stone. Resources Currency *{Thulian} teeth trade and bartering of foods for said teeth. Food *Thulian meat: Thulians are creatures primarily flesh apart from their ribbed cores and teeth. They are an excellent source of meats for food. *{Tangle web} sap: This plant extract is highly nutritious due to the tangle webs’ natural abilities to store water and organic chemicals from animals who misfortunately are caught in their paths. Products *Thulian skins: These are tanned to make a highly durable yet flexible armor pieces. Likewise these can be studded with bone and teeth segments (By product of carvings) *Thulian teeth and bone tools: Highly durable and can break incredibly hard stones. *{Tangle web} Cloth: Tangle web, which is a primary source of food, is easily separated from its liquid component and the dried remains are highly flexible and soft like a smooth twine which can be woven into cloth for clothing or trade. Architecture Stormborn make home in canyon wall caverns which have been tunneled by ancient water flow or by {Thulians} of the canyon. Stormborn make home in these caverns as well as set up tarps of thulian hide which they mount in front of the cave mouth. This method of home construction is not pretty or perfect but these setups do well to protect the owner from the winds at night. These tunnels are expanded and decorated with carvings of notable hunting memories. Transportation *Sky runners: Modifications of {river runners} that are small nimble boards with a single massive sail(usually made of woven {tangle web} but occasionally from ancient sails from the original colony) Natural threats Animals/plants *{Tangle web}: In the low visibility of the storm, occasionally tangle web can catch the unaware hunter. These encounters are fast and fatal. *{Thulians}: These creature are the common predator and prey of the Storm Born. They kill off so many hunters throughout their hunts and can occasionally burrow into existing homes. Environmental The winds, apart from sheer strength, have a plethora of obstacles and dangers from massive boulders which the winds pick up to from asteroid belts within the points of power. Likewise sand running across these stones produces static charges which will spontaneously arc like lightning. Notable Disease *Sand sores: The electric charge and constant battery of the sand can produce surface burns upon the skin which result in frequent boils and sores. These boils become infected/chronic. Clothing description(s) The primary components of storm born clothing are the hand and head wraps which are made from woven dried {Tangle web}. Most other clothing is made from. Likewise a common practice is to make leather greaves from {thulian} hides. Occasionally tunics can be made from this material but mostly, in an effort to strengthen themselves, Stormborn try to expose their chests and backs to take the brunt of the sand. This lunacy has lead to epidemics of {sand sores}. Religion There is no official religion of the people of the storm but a fairly large lineage follows the Word of {Masdock}. This religion is founded off of an old tale of one hunter whose skill with a {SkyRunner} made him seem like he was one with the storm. This religion believes all hunters must try to be as skilled as Masdock and one day when they two become one with the storm, they will ascend to the outer world. The hunters who follow the Word spend all time they can spare devising new and incredible tricks to be as skillful with a runner as Masdok putting themselves further and further into danger. Values This religion values skill above all else. History of religion A hunter by the name of {Masdock Wind Dancer} who was praised for his skill riding the winds on one venture during a day where no one else would venture, he took flight and with defiance said to his companions, who were caught taking shelter in his home for the night, “this storm is mine and it will rage as I please,” and thusly the storm never welled with that strength again. That being said he never returned. The companions who witnessed this claim he was skilled as the wind and thusly became the storm. from then on, the storm never got that rough again. Deities Masdock the wild, Father of the storm: followers believe Masdock Is the storm and makes it safe enough for the hunter’s talent to flourish. Magics *Basic regenerative magics of {Misery Magic} is a staple amongst the stormborn. Being able to take a hit was the only way to survive in these lands. That being said, they have no access to the materials for {primal magics} *Lightning misdirection: {Rock breaker Kan} who was known as sand spitter Kan before this was struck by a bolt of lightning. The agony this caused triggered the body’s natural ability to heal but in doing so, allowed him to hold the charge and release it back at the stones. The impact left a gaping hole to the outside world of the storm. This power opened up new opportunities for the storm Born. Geography Location {map with territory highlighted as a visual aid} Geographic features Stone flatlands above well carved canyons with occasional massive boulders that the winds drop and pick up. These boulders become more concentrated near the edge, forming a blender-like barrier that is impossible to pass without madic. The canyons themselves, can drop to about a mile below in some places and the walls are pock marked with thousands of cavern entrances